The Dark Road
by booksprout
Summary: A life thrown into chaos by Jashin and his most loyal servant, Hidan. Does NOT have sex scenes/gay couples D
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I walk down the dark, damp street, the cold wind covering my bare arms in goose bumps. There is a not sound except for the wind. There hasn't been for a very long time...

All of the people have been gone for so long... the animals too. Since that day, neither the sun nor the moon has blessed me with their presence. Even the trees look blackened...

I continue walking past the broken lamps and burned, collapsed buildings. The only light that guides me comes from the dying stars above. They seem to be getting dimmer and dimmer every month... soon I will be in complete darkness...

Why did he do this to me? I only wanted to die... that's all... Isn't that what he likes to do? Cause death and suffering? ..Perhaps he values suffering more than death... Maybe he'll kill me once I've gone insane...

Bah, I already am insane. There can be no other description for what I am.

Broken glass breaks under the cloth I've wrapped around my feet. I would wear shoes, if there were any. But there is hardly anything left in this world.

Finally, I reach my destination and come to a stop. I gaze up at the statue towering above me. This... _thing_, appeared after everyone else disappeared. A gray stone carved into the form of some wretched... creature. With dozens of arms, all holding real-looking hearts. Two wicked eyes, those eyes are the only thing other than me that are alive... They forever stare into the sky, the mouth filled with teeth the size of piano keys is gaping open, as though this thing had eaten the sun and moon.

..and everything else for that matter...

It looks like some great and powerful being, but I have only cursed this wretched thing, attempted to destroy it several times, as well as myself... But no matter what I did, I could neither damage this damn statue, nor kill myself...

Now I simply sit down against the statue and wait for that man. Wait for him to return to finish the job..

The statue has a steady, warm pulse against my back. As though life itself flows through the stone... I should probably be afraid, scream, runaway. But this statue has always been this way... to my knowledge anyways... I'm more afraid to leave the statue than to remain here. The statue is the only thing that has shown any sign of life in such a long time...

I used to cry all the time, scream in rage, destroy things. But I do none of those things anymore... I feel so numb. Knowing that I am the only thing alive and moving has driven me into near complete insanity. I know that that man is out there somewhere... he may be watching all the time, laughing at my suffering. He might even be this statue itself... there aren't too many things that I wouldn't believe anymore. He must be here, somewhere.

..Unless he's left me in this world, simply knowing that I'll suffer...

I shut my eyes and drift into restless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I open my eyes to the sound of a slow and constant beeping. My eyes become wide and I sit bolt upright. I'm in a white hospital bed. IV needles are in my wrists and neck, a bandage wrapped around my torso. My father sits in a chair beside the bed, his head resting in his hands. He looks distressed.

I'm overcome with joy; I jump out of the bed and hug him in a tight embrace, tears running down my cheeks.

"Dad! You're alive!" I sob, nearly laughing at the same time. "I love you so much Dad..." I don't let go of him.

He doesn't move. Doesn't even make a sound.

"..Dad?" I let go of him to see him.

His head is no longer in his hands, so I can see his face... his eyes. His eyes are a fuchsia color and bursting with laughter. He wears a scowl that is not his own, his hair has changed into a white color and is slicked back.

This man is not my father; he is the man who put me in my Hell.

He rises to his feet, a red three-bladed scythe in his hand that hadn't been there before. Fear and hatred surge into my heart, entwined so tightly I cannot distinct one from the other. I can neither run away nor attack him, though adrenaline runs heavily through my veins.

Before I know it, his empty hand is around my neck and I'm up against the wall. "Wretched piece of filth," he growls. "Why does Jashin-sama want a heathen like you?" He says this more to himself than to me, though he looks me straight in the eye.

I want to scream at him and tear him to pieces, but his grip on my throat makes it impossible to make a sound and seems to weaken me. Could this possibly be a dream? But the pain feels so real...

I cannot stand this; all fear that might be in me is smothered by roaring fury, the hatred adding to my strength. I yell out in rage, kicking him hard in the torso and sinking my nails so deep in his arms that I feel his blood run down my arms.

He curses loudly and throws me across the room, I hit the opposite wall hard, everything becomes blurry for a moment and my ears are filled with the sound of roaring water. With effort, I am able to stand back on my feet, leaning against the wall. Shaking, I look up.

He is no where to be seen.

I warily scan the room without moving, confusion and anger coursing through my mind. His scythe is beside the chair he had been sitting in just a minute ago. But where is-

Then he's suddenly there, his face not even a full foot from my own. His left hand has a tight hold on my left arm, holding it above my head, against the wall. With terrifying speed and strength, he produces a surgical knife in his right hand that had been on the bedside table just a moment ago, and drives it through my hand, pinning it against the wall.

I cry out in sudden pain that blurs my vision and makes my head want to burst. He takes my right arm, slowly rising it above my head, greatly enjoying my pain. Then he drives the other knife through my hand, so I am unable to move.

I'm shaking uncontrollably, tears running down my face from a great surge of emotion. "Why... what have I done..?" I ask weakly, pain of every kind pulsing through my body.

"You?" He says with great hatred, "you are an inconsiderate slug, not worthy of anything except Hell. Wretched heathen who does not respect pain, you are given what you deserve." He's shaking with hatred so hot I can feel it against my cold skin. "Why, why Jashin-sama won't just let me destroy you... I do not know." His darkened eyes pierce through my mind and heart, I have never known of such hatred as his.

He presses the palm of his hand, covered in my own blood, against my skull. I can feel his hatred surge into my head, immersing my mind in white-hot pain. His words are all I can hear or feel outside of the unbearable pain, "...but I do know. You do not deserve something so sweet as death. You will serve until Lord Jashin says that you may leave." The pain intensifies without warning; I hear a terrible mind-splitting scream.

I wake in a cold sweat, writhing in pain at the foot of the statue that stands in the center of my dead town. The scream I heard stops, and I realize that it was my own. Shaken, I sit up, alert. There is no movement or sound. I look down at my hands, finding with relief that they're whole again.

I sit for only a moment, and then my heart is overcome with sorrow. I bury my face in my arms and cry softly, knowing that no one can hear me. I hug my knees tightly, needing something to hold. He is right... I don't deserve death. I'm just another selfish person, there's nothing special about me...

I sit there, drowning in my past sorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hidan walks down the stone corridor, aggravated. Torturing the girl hadn't made him feel much better at all. If nothing else, it had only made him angrier.

"I still don't see why you keep her there, Jashin-sama." He says, still pressing into the argument.

**I suppose one such as you would find it hard to understand.**

Hidan nearly shakes with fury, but quickly regains control. He must save anger for later. "I can't understand why you want _me_ to do this… I just don't see why you don't put her in your dungeons. There is no Hell worse than that… Perhaps you could at least explain it to me again."

There is a pause.

**Very well then. I will explain this just once more; so listen. She has traits that could be valuable to me. It would be a waste to simply throw it into the flames. She needs to be taught the religion of those who worship me. You are my most loyal servant Hidan; there is no better teacher than you, besides myself.**

Hidan scowls, "what is it that's so special about her?"

…**There are many things. For one, the conditions of how she acts and lives made it easy to take her from her world. It will be easy to manipulate her mind due to how she can deceive herself, even if she doesn't always want to. But at the same time she has a will and fury strong enough to defeat even you, Hidan… if she only knew how. Also, she does not look like a danger to people, so they will not realize the danger that lies within her until it is too late. Furthermore, I have seen how she serves her own god. I have witnessed her loyalty and never ending faith towards her god. ..I will be her god, and she will serve me.**

Now silenced, pondering Jashin's words, Hidan continues down the corridor in the girl's mind.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I walk down another street and enter what was once the library. Once upon a time, this was a place I could go to get away from everything. But now I wanted nothing more than to get everything back. I'm not here for books, those are all gone now. I'm searching the town, something I do once a week or so… it's impossible to tell time. I'm always hoping that I'll find someone, anything; from my warden to a simple mouse, just something living.

I silently walk down the once crowded isles, and then search the back rooms where the staff used to hang out when they weren't working. All empty. I leave the library and walk down the street, heading for the hospital. I've saved it for last, given my recent nightmare…

I walk through the vacant halls, looking through the windows into each room as I pass. I pause at one that's exactly identical to the one from my dream. This one's much dirtier than the one in my dream of course… and there is no sunlight coming in from the window. Just the same dim light that has been lighting the world for awhile…

I hesitantly walk into the room, curious. There is a stain on the floor beside the chair. Instantly I feel nauseous. If I am correct… that's the blood of my torturer. Thinking back to my dream, I turn to look at the opposite wall. Blood blacked with age streams down the wall, both streams originating from two likewise bloody knives, sticking out of the wall.

His words echo through my head; _"Wretched heathen who does not respect pain, you are given what you deserve."_

..It looks as though the incident that I had experienced no more than a day ago had happened years ago. I stare at the knives protruding from the wall, feeling sick. Finally, I walk out of the room, then out of the hospital.

I don't want to be here anymore.

I stop outside of the doors, looking up at the sky. Oh beautiful heavens above, won't you take me? These stars above my do not twinkle or dance, there are no shooting stars as there used to be. But still, it is beautiful…

I begin walking down the road, back to the statue. Another thing that had changed since the town had been transformed; the town is now shaped like a web. And in the middle is that horrendous statue.

I spend much of my time by that statue. For warmth, and because there is quite obviously something important about it. What exactly that is, I do now know.

I take a seat, sitting against the base of the statue. It's been a long day, and though I fear another nightmare, I cannot deny that I need sleep.

The familiar warm pulse of the statue calms me down, like a child calmed by the heartbeat of its mother. The constant pulse gradually lulls me into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I wake suddenly, disturbed. I feel in the pit of my heart that there is something gravely wrong. I jump to my feet, and then I hear it again.

**Give me your heart.**

The voice is strong and powerful, it comes from every direction, as though God himself was speaking to me. But this could not be Him… though this voice is great, it is also terrible.

I suddenly realize what is out of place. I stare up at the statue in terror. Instead of looking up at the sky, the statue is looming over me, its wicked eyes boring into my very soul.

I don't scream, who would hear me anyways? What I DO do, is turn and run like the bats of Hell themselves were after me, which, in a way, they were. With horror I feel the constant pounding of giant feet, much larger than me, thundering behind me.

**Foolish girl who runs, you will not escape me. I am Jashin, the god of this realm. **

I run into an old church whose roof is almost at collapsing point and dive beneath a dusty pew. _Oh God, oh God, oh God. Please, please help me,_ I pray, my eyes heavy with tears.

The statue –Jashin?- roars with great rage, shaking the earth. I cover my ears and cry out in fear, my eyes squeezed shut.

**Come out now, and your punishment will not be great.**

I consider his words for only a moment, and then drop the thought. I dare not leave where I hide; I just continue to beg God for help, safety. _Oh please Lord, please show mercy to my soul, please save me, My Savior._

I cower as the roof of the church is torn away; I shake with tears as I pray without sound.

**You rejected my offer of safety, you shall be punished greatly. **

Without a second moment's pass, the pew I'm hiding under is lifted aside by one of Jashin's many arms, and I am taken from the ground by another. The stone hand holds me so tightly that I feel like my bones will snap under the pressure. The statue slams me to the ground face-up; I shout out in pain. One of his fingers touches my forehead. My eye sockets are filled with fiery pain, I cry out. Then the pain in my eyes comes to an end, I stare up at the statue looming over me. My whole body is still pinned to the ground by one of his giant hands.

**The curse will be lifted once you have paid your debt in full.**

Jashin turns his head, looking up the street.

**Hidan.**

I look to find that the man who has tortured me for so long is there. _Hidan. _My breathing is uneven as he walks down the street, an insane grin on his face. In one hand, he holds his three-bladed scythe, in the other, four sharp iron stakes.

_What is to become of me? Where are you, Oh Lord? Why do you not come to my rescue? _

Then Hidan's there, standing over me. He seems very pleased with everything that's going on. He casually kneels down beside me, "shall we begin?"

"Wha-" and then it comes to me. Jashin's words ring through my mind. '_Give me your heart.'_

As a look of horror appears on my face, Hidan's grin widens. "Ah! She gets it!" He's nearly laughing. ..No, he _is_. Still chuckling, he takes one of my arms and slides it above my head. I am still unable to move due to Jashin's hand. _Oh no, please not again…_

Having set down his scythe, Hidan drives one of the iron stakes through my wrist. Enjoying my yells of pain, he does the same to the other wrist. Jashin raises his hand now that I no longer require his holding me down. _Two more stakes..._ Hidan takes one of my ankles, holding it in place as he raises the hand that holds a stake. I squeeze my eyes shut and turn my head away, but am unable to restrain a cry of pain as the stake is driven through my ankle. My world is spinning as he takes my other ankle and pins it down with the last stake.

Hidan picks up his scythe, but does not rise to his feet. It's not over yet. I am barely able to hold back my tears.

_Give me your heart._

Hidan leans in and whispers into my ear, "scream for me." He takes his scythe and cuts down the center of my ribcage, cutting through the skin and bone.

My screams of agony echo through the dark, empty town. Unheard by anyone, except these two.

Hidan sets down his scythe. His eyes are shut for a few seconds as he relishes the moment. Then he reaches into my flesh, and rips back both halves of my ribcage. I scream in pain, my blood splatters onto Hidan's face. He rips my heart out of my open chest. I finally pass out from the immense pain right as Hidan is handing my heart to the statue.

_Jashin…_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
I wake, but I am afraid to open my eyes. I'm lying on something softer than the stone, but still hard. My chest hurts, telling me that what had happened hadn't been a dream... I curl up tighter, even though it hurts to do so.

Then I hear something that I haven't heard in a very long time... I dare to open my eyes and sit up. I'm in a forest, surrounded by trees... _Living_ trees. I hear it again, a bird's singing.

_Could this be Heaven?_

I cautiously look down at my chest. It's wrapped up tight in blood-stained-red white cloth.

"She awakes," a dreadfully familiar voice says, across from me.

I nearly vomit.

Hidan sits leaning against a tree, opposite of the tree I lean against. He watches me with a look of amusement. I stare back blankly, not making a sound.

After a moment a look of irritation settles upon his face, "well? Aren't you going to say anything? Ask anything?" The way he prods me to speak as though we are long departed friends makes me feel even more sick.

..but I cannot deny that I have many questions. "..Why am I not dead?"

"Finally," he says. "I was starting to think you had been struck mute." He pauses. "Well, there's probably a settle, logical way to explain that. But that is far too boring. ..Simply put; you're a Jashinist now. As long as you belong to him, you are immortal..."

"_Belong_ _to him?_" I repeat with disbelief. I take a moment to think. My shock and fear of new surroundings disappear under new-found curiosity. "well, where are we now?.. I thought my world was gone..."

Hidan regains his look of amusement, "your world? Your world is just fine. Where we are now, this is neither your world nor the world you were in previously."

"Wh-what? ..There are different worlds?" I realize something. "Wait, so my friends and family are alright? No one is dead?"

He frowns at the great array of questions that I throw at him. "Yes, there are different worlds. Your friends and family are fine... I guess." He grins a little, "but to say that no one is dead would be a lie..."

I wait for him to continue. When he doesn't, I prod him further. "Well? Who is it that died?"

Hidan smugly waits another few moments before answering, letting the tension build up. "You."

"I... I'm dead?.. Then why am I here? I thought you said I couldn't die."

"You're not dead in this world, just your self in your home world."

"This... this is impossible... How did I die?.."

"I killed you. Then awakened you in that last world you were in...Then again, that wasn't really a world... More of a bridge between worlds."

I think about all of this, restraining all emotion. I was _dead?_ It didn't seem possible... Awaken in another world after you've died? Why didn't I just go to Heaven or Hell?..

"This is so unreal..." I say this to more myself than to anything else. I finally look back up at Hidan, who's still watching me with a curious expression. "How did you kill me?.. And, did... Jashin... did he take my soul?.." My question sounds stupid even as I hear it escape my mouth; but I cannot restrain my mixture of fear and curiosity.

Hidan laughs, "ah… that. You and one of your friends were walking by yourselves, which really isn't smart to do in a city y'know, and… basically, I attacked from behind and killed you instantly. I had thought you might be a threat at that point of time. Your friend freaked out… it was pretty hilarious. Well, I tortured her a bit, didn't kill her of course… Jashin-sama didn't want any deaths besides your own." His eyes brimmed with laughter as he recalls this line of events. The laughter escapes when I throw up. "And to your second question? No, he did not take your soul. Your previous god dealt with souls, Jashin-sama controls using hearts."

I wipe puke from my lips, "you're disgusting... she is… was my closest friend!" I don't bother to hold back my anger. I don't have anything to lose...

"Which is precisely why I did it." He doesn't seem moved in the least.

"And Jesus is not my '_previous god_'. He is still my Lord now, and He will always be my Lord. So you can just tell your 'god' _Jashin_ to piss off!" my voice rises and rises as I speak, ending in furious yelling.

Big mistake.

With unreal speed, Hidan goes from his place against that opposite tree, to pressing me against the tree behind me by my neck. He pins me so our eyes our level, my feet do not touch the ground. I can feel his hot breath on my face as he speaks in a frightening, low voice. "You will never speak of Lord Jashin in such a way _ever again_, understand?" He allows a single moment to pass by for this to sink in, "and you will address Jashin as either 'Jashin-sama' or 'Lord Jashin'. Not respecting his name will result in unhesitated suffering. Believe me; you have not experienced life's full terrors quite yet, my dear..."

He releases me, allowing me to crumble to the ground. I hold my no-doubt bruising throat, gasping for lost breath. He glares down at me, curiosity gone; replaced by nothing but pure disgust and hatred.

The sudden still silence frightens me. So after I regain my breath, I attempt to speak, cautiously. "S-so, what now?.." I wait for an answer, not daring to look up at the dark figure towering over me.

Hidan's voice is full of contempt, "we go to Jashin-sama's Temple. You have yet to make your oaths. And on the way there, I need to teach you the ways of Jashinists. We also have another couple of stops to make."

"...How far is the temple from here?"

"It is a 2 week walk. Now get up, we've wasted enough time lying around." Without waiting, he turns and begins walking south.

I stagger to my feet, consider running the opposite direction, but decide better of it. _I'll wait for the right time to come, after I've regained my strength._ I hurry to catch up to him, but am careful not to be too close.

I remember something, "...Hidan?"

"What?" He still sounds quite irritated.

"..Jash... Jashin-sama, cursed me back at the bridge between this world and my own. ..I was wondering, how exactly did he curse me?"

Hidan pauses, and then turns back to look me in the eye. I nearly run into him when he suddenly stops, but don't. "..You will know soon enough..." There is a strange look in his eyes, nearly pitiful.. which worries me. He turns and continues walking.

I watch him for a brief moment, and then follow.


	7. Chapter 7

"Again."

"_Os iusti meditabitur sapie-.. sapia..._"

"Sapientiam."

"Oh, right... _Os iusti meditabitur sapientiam ... et lingua eius ... loquetur iuticium_"

"...You're getting better. However, that last word is pronounced _iudicium_. And you need to let the words flow more, like a song without notes."

"...Thanks," I say, unsure. Hidan had been teaching me sacrificial prayers for the last couple hours while we walked. I am never going to use any of them of course. Well, at least I hope not... "What exactly does that last one mean again?"

"It means 'The mouth of the Just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment.'" Hidan answers. All of these prayers that he's taught me sound like ancient Bible verses, turned into satanic chants...

"Now this next one is the verse you say right before putting the first pike into your chest, killing the sacrifice. It starts '_Beatus vir qui suffert_-'" He begins, before being interrupted by me.

"Could we learn something else for a while?.. These incantations are really hard to learn all at once..." I am eager to change mostly because I prefer not to have these dreadful thoughts in my head, but I am careful to not appear so.

"…I suppose so." He thinks for a moment, "we'll learn about this world for awhile then."

"Alright."

"Hmn, there are so many things to learn… I guess it'd be best to talk about its place in the world grid to begin with. This world is more of… a world between all worlds. To go from any other world to this one; one would need only to find the bridge between here and there. However, if someone wanted to go from your world to, say, Faia Rikujou, then they'd have to find the bridge between your world and here. And then they'd need to find the bridge between here and Faia Rikujou. Since there are hundreds of worlds, we get all sorts of people here. But not only people, we also get animals, demons, spirits, and even gods. …Do you get all of this so far?"

"…Not quite. So to find a bridge, do you have to die like I did?"

"No. But in order to go from one place to another without your body dying in the world you're leaving, you have to leave willingly. Jashin said that you wouldn't go willingly and that I'd have to instead kill you and awakened your spirit on the bridge."

I think about this, but still, not all of it makes since. "I still don't understand how you had to kill me, and what do you mean by 'awaken my spirit'?"

He sighs, "I guess I'll start with telling you that your spirit is everywhere, every second of every day. But if your mind and body are not with it, then it is in dormant. Since you were not willing in mind to leave your world, you also were not willing in spirit. There's no way a person can go from one world to another if their spirit in that world is attached to it. So I killed you, and your spirit was left alone. Had I not acted quickly enough, your god would have taken it, and you'd be lost to us. So I went to the bridge and awakened your spirit there."

"Then how did my body come to be living again?"

Hidan begins to look irritated. "Your spirit has the ability to recreate your body and mind. It often lacks the power though, so I had to assist with that." He says all of this quite bluntly. "Any more questions?"

"No."

"Good. Now, the next thing to know is that this world is continuously involved in war. Most worlds are though. Here, we have a sort of inner energy that we are able to summon by taking energy from our own bodies. There are other ways of getting this powerful energy of course. A few ways are from nature, from gods, from demons or spirits, from people, or from objects where you've stored energy. …I'll teach you how to find the energy within yourself, and perhaps a few of the basic techniques that you can do through the power. But finding your own medium or main technique… that will take an unusual path given the little time we have."

This is all so amazing… Who could know that such a thing existed as this? I wonder what all could be done with this kind of 'power' as he called it… I wonder… could I ever fly? What a dream, what a dream.

Then a worrying thought occurs to me, "Hidan? Could the fact that I was born in a different world, make it impossible to gain access to this sort of energy?"

"…I don't believe so. Though this world is one of very few where people can discover it, everyone has access to the energy; they need only for their mind to feel it."

"For their mind to feel it? …How does that happen?"

Hidan's brow furrows, "I really am not that good at explaining this deep stuff…" He pauses before continuing, thinking. "Well… I guess it could be explained as a stream of water or a flame in your mind. For many who use it, it is revealed to them by another person. That person guides the other's mind into finding what it holds. For some, they find it on their own."

I pause, deep in thought. "…So… are you going to open my mind to it?" I look up at him.

"Not until after you are completely loyal to Jashin-sama. He said this specifically," He finishes with a sly grin.

"What all do I have to do to do that?" I ask, hiding my irritation.

Hidan raises an eyebrow. "Anxious, are we?"

I remain silent, not wanting to stir his still sleeping temper.

"Well, first off, Jashin has to dub you worthy of it. As long as I see you, he sees you. Second, you have to understand it. We don't want you to go off and do something you'll gravely regret." His words drip heavy with threat. "And last, we need to be in a rather open area," he says, giving a slight gesture to the trees around us. "You wouldn't believe the things that have happened when a shielded mind is suddenly exposed to great power… Whole villages have been leveled, without even a thought to it."

My eyes widen at the thought, "that's amazing…"

Hidan's face gains a look of amusement at my wonder.

We continue walking through the gradually darkening woods. And as we do, I think about everything Hidan has told me. Everything I have learned. Things are starting to look less like an Apocalypse gone wrong, and more like a fantastic dream… But I know that I will never wake. And what kind of a 'fantastic dream' has demonic gods and psychotic killers?

…Apparently, this one.

The sun finally disappears under the horizon, and the stars above that were before hiding, now are as bright as Heaven. I stop, looking up at them. Not even the stars on Earth were as bright and lively as these… It's as though this world hadn't been here as long as Earth had, as though this world is younger… My eyes brim with tears at their beauty, and for the first time in a long, long time, I felt safe.

I feel eyes on me, and tear my eyes away from the sky. Hidan also stopped, and is watching me with eyes I can't understand.

He blinks, remains silent for another moment, then, "…we should stop here for the night. These woods aren't safe for traveling once darkness falls." He raises his hand so the palm is flat against my skull, "I'll have to put you in a coma. I do not trust you to be free while I sleep."

Before I can utter even a word, everything fades to black, and I fall into a world of dreamless sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

I awake, and Hidan's hand is over my forehead. It is light out. I open my eyes, and Hidan's hand moves away. I sit up, shielding my eyes from the bright of the sun, "g'morn…" I mumble, fully awake not quite yet.

Hidan is sitting beside me, but then rises to his feet. "You've got a minute, then we're setting off."

I sit up and stretch out my arms; I wonder why they feel so heavy… but then remember that he had put me in a coma. _So that's what a coma's like…_ I think blankly in a sleepy mind as I roll my shoulders back. They crack loudly, which brings my wandering mind back to the world. I stand to my feet, finding that my legs feel sore.

"Man… how long are you going to continue to put me out like that?" I ask, looking up at him while rubbing my arms. They feel so cold…

"Hopefully not much longer… I've got to until I'm sure that you won't run off on me." He speaks looking up at the sky, "we've burned enough daylight already, and we're not all that far from the road." He looks down at me, "Let's go. If we keep a decent pace, we should hit the path in an hour and the road by noon." He sets off at an even pace, continuing the same route we took the day before.

I quickly follow, and soon, to my relief, my legs feel normal again.

After a few minutes of silence, I say "can you teach me more about that inner energy you were talking about yesterday? You said that I would have to understand it before being able to use it, and I'm rather curious about how it all works." I finish in a rushed voice, anxious.

"…I suppose it'd be best to start now rather than later… Very well. But where to start…" The silence returns as he ponders. "…Alright. So, this energy _does_ have a name. In this world, it is called 'ryoku'. It is controlled by every part of you. Emotion, movement, origin, everything. For example; anger controls pain and all that causes pain, sorrow controls sound and light, hope can control movement, and love causes healing, but if you let out ryoku while in a state of confusion, all sorts of bad can happen. So you've got to watch yourself. It's also very important how much emotion you put into it. Questions?"

"Yeah, when you said that hope can control movement, how exactly does that work?"

"…Well, I guess a better word for it would be 'faith'. If you believe that you can make something move, a rock for example, and you see it in motion in your mind's eye and put energy into it, then it will move just as you imagined it moving. Any other questions?"

"No."

"Alright then… So I've explained a bit of how emotion controls it. Now; movement. Often when causing movement, you have to act out that movement, generally with your hands. An example would be if you wanted to cut someone's chest, you'd make a slashing movement with your arm, as though your hand is a knife. If you wanted a boulder to rise, you'd have your hand down low, palm up, and raise your hand until the boulder is how high you want it to be. Now you don't only control its altitude, you may also make it go in other directions. Forward, backward, left, right, whatever. You would extend both arms towards it and clench them as though grabbing a handle. Then you coordinate where you want it to go with how you move. It's not that hard…

"But remember, whenever you use ryoku, it takes a toll. This toll is based on the origin of the energy. It can be from yourself, your surroundings, even gods, demons, and spirits. Keep in mind, if you take energy from anything, even yourself, it will exhaust that thing or being of life and/or energy. So be careful. If you disrupt too much of your surroundings, balance will be disturbed and your surroundings will get you back. When using yourself as the origin, you can control which part of you becomes exhausted. If you use your stomach, you'll become hungry; if you use your lungs, it'll be hard to breathe; if you use your mind, you'll become weary. If you're in a dire situation and are willing to give your life for the task at hand, you can use your heart. You will die, but you can do amazing things. Block the sun, stop time, even crush a village… But us Jashinists can't, we've given our hearts to Jashin. Have any questions?"

"You said that you could take ryoku from spirits, demons, and gods. How does that work?"

"Mm… well, I guess you can't really _take_ the ryoku from them, not unless it's a weak one. Generally, it must be willingly given. I can use Jashin-sama's power if I need a great deal of energy. I could fight an entire army for weeks with no rest, using nothing but his might. You won't find anything or anyone else like him, I can guarantee you that. Anything else?"

"…no."

"Kay. Well… that's all I can think of for now in blunt terms. A lot of understanding comes with experience, and you won't have that until you're open to ryoku."

"…So is that all that I need to know about it?" I ask, excited to be closer to using it.

"…nearly. I forgot to mention that you may only take energy from one single god, or upper-class demon or spirit, in your whole life. You, like I, will be taking yours from Lord Jashin. Of course, you can still use the ryoku from yourself and certain surroundings. But those don't last anywhere near as long as that of a god."

"Only one?… Why exactly is that? How does it work?"

Hidan frowns at the sudden wave of questions. "You may only take from one god in your life because that is all you are capable of. There have been very few people who have been able to take from more than one, and most of them are dead. Now, as to how, when I release your mind from your body, Jashin will be there. Go to him and he will lend some of his energy to you, that energy that he gives you will ignite the flame in your mind that will allow you to freely use ryoku."

"That's so cool…" I say in wonder, "just like that…" As we continue through the bare forest, I think about everything I'd be able to do… It didn't seem like such a bad thing to be a Jashinist anymore. Though at the bridge he had seemed more demonic than godly… "Hidan?"

"Hm?"

"I don't mean to be disrespectful towards Jashin-sama, but the way he looked at the bridge that horri-… that statue, is that his true appearance?"

Hidan chuckled. "Oh Hell no. You thought that was his true form? Ha! Oh no, no, Jashin created that statue to use as a medium, like a temporary body. He can appear in any form that he pleases, but he is only ever in his true form at his temple."

"Is that where you're going to release my mind? At his temple?"

"No, any open place will do."

"But you said that he would be there to open my mind to ryoku…?"

"Yeah. When I release your mind from your body, your mind will be in the Spirit World; a world within this one. Lord Jashin's home is there, that is where he always is. Even his temple is a portal into his true realm. It's truly amazing… The work of a god," he says with a small smile.

"That's so sweet! So all's that I've got to do now to be able to use ryoku is be in an open place and for Jashin-sama to decide that I'm worthy?!"

Hidan looks at me for a moment, "yeah, I guess… But before that'll ever happen, he'll probably want you to suffer a bit from that curse you've got there."

I had nearly forgotten; the curse. Back at the bridge, my punishment for having fled from him… "What is the curse exactly? How bad is it?"

Hidan took his eyes off me to continue watching where we were going, "…I can't tell you what it is exactly." He said quietly, "but I can tell you that he based it off of what you value. …I would say that it is _very_ bad, given that the reason for the punishment is that you ran from him. That's a terrible, terrible insult. You NEVER disobey Jashin-sama. He let you off easy with nothing but a curse. You should be thankful."

"…I am."


	9. Chapter 9

Then we stepped upon a dirt path in the woods, the trees were parted slightly providing travelers with a visible path. Hidan turned right on the path, I followed.

Now thinking about other things, I ask "so how many people are in this world? What's the population? You mentioned villages, is there anything greater than that?"

"Ah… I keep forgetting, you're completely new to everything here… Similar to your home, there are regions here. Each region has a capital city where the ruler of the region lives. There are several many villages… Generally, common folk live in the villages. This world isn't anywhere near as advanced or as greatly populated as your home, but I'd say that we're far more powerful."

"So is Lord Jashin the ruler of a region? Is his temple the capital?"

Hidan sounds angry when he replies, "no. …Not all that many people even know of his existence. But those fools will regret it… One day, they will all respect Jashin… But none of them will be as greatly rewarded as I, his truest servant." At the end, Hidan sounds rather proud of himself. He trails off, no doubt lost in his own thoughts. After a moment he continues, "Jashin's temple is in the Region of Stone. Another week or so from where we are now…"

One week. In one week I'd see Jashin's true form… Or maybe sooner. Maybe when he opens my mind, I'll be able to see him then. I can't imagine what he'll look like… I hope not as giant or as frightening as that statue… but I do not doubt that he will certainly be frightening.

Then, for the first time since I've arrived in this world, I see people. They're walking towards us on the dirt path. A young boy and a man who appears to be his grandfather.

Joy surges into my heart, I'm excited to meet these people and see what people in this world act like. They look normal enough, even if they're dressed in older-looking clothes. Kinda like what I'm wearing; like the clothing of olden-time peasants. Not what Hidan wears; a black, open cloak.

I smile and wave when they get a little closer, "Hello!"

They look up.

At once, something goes terribly, terribly wrong. I fall to my knees, vomiting blood. My eyes feel like they're on fire, and I try to scream, but I cannot breathe. I reach out towards where Hidan is, trying to speak. It gets even worse. Everything becomes blood-red and my head feels like it's going to burst. I can't feel anything except this awful pain, not even the ground below me.

Finally, it ends. I shakily sit up, wiping blood off of my face with trembling hands. Blood… I was… crying blood… There's a small pool of blood at my feet. I'm so, so scared… I look up at Hidan, but he's not looking at me. He's looking straight ahead, at two crumpled figures on the dirt path.

Panic in my heart, I run up the path as fast as I can and fall to my knees beside the figures, "A-are you okay?! Get up!" I roll over the young boy so that he's facing up. His eyes are pure red. There are trails of blood coming from the sockets, his nose, and his ears.

Tears stream down my face. Normal, clear tears. "N-no.. please…" I shake the boy hard, "PLEASE! PLEASE WAKE UP!! P-please..!" I fold my arms over his chest and bury my face in sorrow. They had done nothing wrong… Nothing at all… It was all my fault, all my fault… The boy couldn't have been a day over 12, and I killed him… He would never live to see his children or anything, and it was entirely my fault…

I shake harder and harder, overcome with unbearable grief. It was so, so wrong… what I had done… I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I slowly look up.

"There's nothing you can do… I am sorry." Hidan looks down at me with pitying eyes.

At that moment, nothing he had done to me in the past mattered. In that moment, he was like God himself giving me comfort. I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. I hadn't held a living thing in so long…

Hidan became very tense and unmoving. He awkwardly raised a hand and cautiously puts it on my back. "Uh… it's… alright…"

I let go of him and take a step back, "I-I'm sorry…" I say, wiping the tears from my face. "I… how…" My shaking becomes less violent, but I'm still trembling. "Was… is that the curse?" I look up at Hidan.

I don't think that Hidan had ever touched a person before without killing them or hurting them. I don't think he had ever even had a friend before; judging by the look on his face.

Blinking, Hidan says, "yes…"

"I-is it over?…"

"…no."

"Wh-what?! But..! What do you mean 'it's not over'?!" How could it not be over? What else could happen?

Hidan looks away from me, "everyone you see will die until Jashin-sama thinks you've paid your debt in full."

"Everyone I see..?" I say quietly.

Hidan looks down at a rock that's about the size of his fist and picks it up. With a quick motion, he slices the rock in half, so it's perfectly flat. Then he wipes his hand over the flat surface, and it becomes like a mirror. He holds it out for me to take, "see for yourself…"

I take the rock, still looking at Hidan, then look down at the mirror surface, and gasp. My eyes look inverted. They're all black, with red corneas. I look like a demon… like a monster.

"They'll be like that until the curse is lifted." Hidan says.

I look down at the young boy and his grandfather once more. They hadn't died when I looked at them… it was when they looked at me that everything happened. When they looked at my cursed eyes…

Overcome with rage and hatred towards myself, I begin clawing viciously at my eyes, dropping the rock. My eyes and hands feel like they're on fire, but I don't stop.

"Stop that!" Hidan grabs my wrists. "There's nothing you can do. Only Jashin-sama can lift the curse. There's no way to avoid it." He speaks very sternly.

"Please… couldn't you take them out? Can't you blind me? …please…"

Hidan looks like he's in great pain, "no, I cannot… I can't do anything to help you avoid the curse. If you shut your eyes, I will not guide you, and your eyelids will burn. If you try to cover your eyes, whatever is covering them will burn, even if it's your hands." He finally lets go of my wrists.

He picks up his scythe which he had dropped when grabbing me, "come on, we should go before anyone shows up." He starts up the path.

I take one last look at the two people I had killed, and then quietly followed Hidan.


	10. Chapter 10

We didn't run into anyone else on the path. Just as Hidan said, we reached the road when the sun was highest in the sky. It was not a paved road, not even stone. It was just a much wider and much more run-down path than the earlier one.

"Hidan… could we please walk in the trees instead of out here in the open?… I don't want to hurt anyone else…"

Hidan stopped and held up a hand, "one moment…" He was looking straight ahead, but his eyes were glazed over, so I knew he wasn't seeing what I was seeing. He looked like he was praying. "…No. Jashin does not want you to avoid your curse. You must suffer until he says that you have suffered enough."

I looked longingly into the trees to the side of the road, but knew that something even worse would happen if I tried to avoid the curse… I had no choice…

Hidan continued walking, not waiting. I hurried to catch up to him.

No more than 15 minutes later, I saw three figures walking down the path… A father and his two children, a daughter and a son. The son looked only a year or two older than me, but the girl… she looked to be only two years old… Her father held her on his shoulders; it reminded me of when I was a little girl on my own father's shoulders…

Horrified, I looked away. "Please, Lord Jashin, please… not now… please forgive me… I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry… I'll never leave you again…"

My eyes begin to burn; they get hotter and hotter and hotter.

"No!" I cry out, "Please, Jashin-sama! I'll do anything, just please don't let this happen again! Please!!!" I fall to the ground; my whole body feels like it's on fire, I see only red.

"Child! Child, are you alright?!" I hear the father say. He is running towards me. He puts a hand on my back, "answer me!"

"Please! Get out of here! Run, RUN AWAY! NOW!!!" I feel inhumanly strong hands take a hold of my hands and pry them away from my face. A hand grabs my neck and another grasps my hair, forcing my head up so I'm facing the man.

I hear the son yell out in fear, "Father!!!"

The girl screams.

I can't make a sound, breath, anything. Just as before, I'm consumed by this fiery pain with no escape. I taste and smell blood.

Finally, it ends. I feel so weak… I slowly open my eyes, dreading what I will see. I'm lying on the dirt road, just as before. But the family isn't there… Hidan isn't there… There is a young man, my age, squatting down beside me. He has pure black eyes and raven-like black hair that sticks up everywhere. His garments are black too. He wears a wicked grin that reveals razor-sharp blood-stained teeth.

**"Wake up, pretty one. Wake up."** He says. His voice is like nails on glass. I flinch.

His smile widens, **"she's awake… she's awake…"** He brushes a lock of hair off of my face.

I hurriedly sit up, but can go no further because of a sudden wave of nausea.

**"Lie down, lie down…"** The boy says. He puts a hand on my shoulder, and with inhuman strength, forces me back down. He's the one who forced me to look up before…

"Who… are you?…" I ask, holding back vomit. I feel like I'm dying…

**"Aw… you don't know who I am? How disappointing…"** But he still wears his crooked grin. **"I am Jashin, and I relieve you of your curse."** He jabs his black-taloned fingers into my eye sockets, I shout out in pain.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, shaking me. "Wake up!"

I open my eyes with a start. They're whole. Hidan is kneeling beside me, the dead family is on the road, and the boy is gone. I look up at Hidan. "Where… h-he… Jashin-sama was just here! I saw him, h-he was a boy, a young man, he…"

I blink. "My eyes, are they back to the way they were?!"

Hidan pauses, then smiles, "yeah, they're back."

"Oh thank God… thank Jashin…" I'm quickly getting used to having Jashin as a god. I look down at the three people on the road, "…come on, we should move them." I stand and pick up the little girl. Her body is limp and cooling, blood covering her face. It breaks my heart.

I know it is my fault that these people died. But I'm so thankful that no one else will have to suffer… I walk past the tree line and lay the dead child in the tall grass. Hidan walks over, the father slung over his shoulder and the boy under his arm. He drops them carelessly on the ground beside the girl.

"…I don't think you have many people skills Hidan…" I roll the boy off of his father and make sure that all three are facing up. I close all of their eyelids and fold their hands on their chests.

"What the hell are you doing? You're doing it all wrong." Hidan kneels down and cuts out their hearts, one by one. He buries the hearts and says a prayer that I cannot understand.

I stand aside, taken aback. But I say nothing. I'm learning.

When he's done, Hidan wipes his hands off on some shrub with giant leaves, then rises to his feet. He looks at me and gestures at my face, "you'd best be getting that blood off your face."

I quickly wipe my face clean and then wipe off my hands on the same shrub.

Hidan looks up at the sun, "come on, we've got a few more hours of sunlight and it'd be wise to use them." He walks down to the road, I follow.


	11. Chapter 11

We reach a small village before the sun touches the tree line.

It is just like the villages in the medieval times… Everyone dressed like that too. Well, most people are. After such a long time away from groups of people, it's so interesting to watch all of these people; running about like worried little mice. A group of women gossip beside a fountain in the shape of a fish. A group of cackling children run about, playing their games.

One of them runs into Hidan and falls back.

"You little filth, watch where you're going." Hidan steps over the boy like he's nothing more than a pile of dung.

I mumble an apology to the kid then hurry to catch up with Hidan.

We pass by a bakery and I realize how hungry I am… The smell of fresh, warm bread wafts through the air, so inviting. My mouth waters, but I don't say anything.

Some people stare at me and my bloody bandages as Hidan and I walk down the stone street, but most just avoid looking at us; walking around us as though we're lepers.

We walk past homes and stores and markets; but do not stop.

We walk through and out of the village. I glance back, "there were at least 5 inns back there… why not stay there?"

"You wouldn't last more than two minutes in those places." Hidan says darkly, "perhaps your world was a happy little place with laws and such keeping young girls safe; but not all places are like that here."

I understood what he meant, but the village had looked so innocent…

Seeming to read my mind, Hidan says, "it's amazing how the night can darken even the kindest of souls. Believe me, that village has more to it than its first impression lets off."

I ask no further questions.

A while after night falls, Hidan walks off of the road, and into the woods. I follow him into a small clearing.

"We'll stay here for the night," he says. Then he turns to me.

I stare, "you're not going to knock me out again, are you?"

"…no," he says. Then jabs my forehead with a finger, "but I'll give you that to deal with."

"What is it?.." I ask, touching my forehead, but feeling nothing.

"You'll find out, if you try to run. I suggest you don't."

Hidan takes off his cloak and rolls it up into a bundle. He lies down face-up with his eyes shut, using the cloak as a pillow. His bare chest rises and falls slowly, and I wonder if he had fallen asleep, just like that.

His eyes open sharply and his piercing eyes cut through my gaze, "you just gonna stand there all night, staring? Get to sleep. We're setting out early." He rolls over so he's not facing me.

I give him a glare that he'll never see, then sit up against a tree and fall asleep after a long time of listening to the cooing birds and soft wind.


	12. Chapter 12

When I wake up, something cold and smooth is repeatedly thumping my head, hard. I glare at Hidan, who stops poking me with the head of his scythe.

"Fuck, does it always take you this long to wake up? I thought you had fallen into a coma of your own or something."

Ignoring this, I stand up and stretch my weary limbs, "so how far do you expect we'll get today?…"

Hidan glances at the gradually growing horizon. "If we travel at a good pace, we should make it out of the woods."

"Sweet." I hear a small ripping sound and glance down. The bandages wrapped around my torso are starting to tear… "…Hidan? I really need, like, a shirt…"

Hidan spares me only a glance, "congratulations. Good luck with that."

I give him an unbelieving stare.

He sighs. "You've got about two choices. One; you wait till we get to Jashin's Temple. That'll probably another week, maybe less. Two; steal a shirt. Doesn't really matter where from."

"Thank you so much for your consideration," my voice dripping heavily with sarcasm.

Hidan shrugs, then walks down to the road, I follow. We continue down the worn road. We don't see anyone for the first hour or two… And after that the only guy I see is dead and rotting on the side of the road. I'd rather gut myself and knit together a shirt out of my veins than wear his maggot-covered shirt.

The woods thin more and more. There becomes less and less sounds around us as the wild life dies out. Nothing interesting happens, at all. All though, I do develop two new blood blisters on my bare heels. I wish I still had those bandages I had used at the bridge as shoes…

By noontime, there is only one tree every few paces. I see less and less trees, and instead more and more green grass.

"I thought you said that Jashin's Temple was in the Region of Stone, I'm just seeing a lot of grass…"

"We're cutting through the Region of Grass. We'll be in the Region of Stone in another day or two." He says.

A long while later, I say "I'm sorry if I'm being annoying with all of the questions… but… Does Jashin-sama think I'm worthy of using ryoku yet?…"

I wait for an answer while Hidan's eyes glaze over and he speaks in a tongue that I do not understand. He shuts his eyes, and then opens them again, looking at me. "…He does, but he wishes for you to first rename the three things I told you that control ryoku and also what will happen when I release your mind."

My mind becomes numb with excitement, making it harder to think. "Um… well, the three things that I remember are… movement, emotion, and… origin." I look back at him. He nods. I continue, "And when you release my mind, I will be in the Spirit World, where Jashin will be. I will go to him and he will lend me a small amount of ryoku to ignite the flame in my mind. …Then I'll be free to use ryoku." I finish with a small note of pride.

Hidan nods again, "good. But we've still got to wait till we're in a more open area."  
I can't suppress my smile as I continue following Hidan down the road. This is so, so great… I can't wait to test my abilities! I'm also eager to meet Jashin-sama again. Though our first and second meetings weren't all that… heart-warming… he still fascinates me, and I can't wait to see that face again… I could stare into those black eyes forever.

It's not long before the trees die out altogether. Now there's nothing but soft, green grass all around… It makes me think of all of those stories about early America with the waves of wheat… except now it's tall, green grass. The dirt on the path feels softer now… and there aren't small pebbles in it anymore. It feels warm from the sun.

I'm so happy, I feel like I could dance. Everything feels so right in this moment. My heart leaps to my throat when Hidan says "that hill looks like a good place to do it… let's go."

He's gesturing at a large hill to the left of the path. I follow him into the waist-deep grass and up the hill. The whole thing feels like a kind dream… There are even red and blue dragonflies zooming over the grass, playing their games.

"Is this usually done on high grounds?" I ask, but mostly because I'm starting to feel nervous. What if something goes wrong? What if Jashin isn't there and I never find my way back to my body? Or even worse, what if I wake up to find that I'm back in that dead town?… I shudder.

"No, I just figured it'd be a bit safer to do it in a higher place rather than in a lower."

He turns to me, and in a practiced-sounding voice says, "Remember; go to Jashin. And when you do return, your emotion is the most important thing for you to control. Anything you don't remember? Questions?"

I keep fumbling with my fingers, watching the white clouds drift lazily across the sky, wondering if I'll ever see them again. "…y-…no…" I look at Hidan. "I just feel kind of nervous… that's all…"

"Well you know what to do; now you've just got to do it."

I can feel my heart pounding loudly in my chest; it affects my breathing in a strange way.

"If you're ready, come here. If not, do it anyways. I don't have much of a patience."

"…Alright," I say. I walk over to him and hold him in a tight embrace.

"wh-what's this for?"

"It's for in case something goes wrong… It's for me to remember you by."

"Well cut it out and let go. I mean it."

I let go. Hidan has a confused look on his face, as though no one had shown him love before; as though he couldn't understand it.  
"Stand still for a moment, alright?" He says.

I nod.

Hidan puts one hand on my head and the other on my shoulder. He begins murmuring in a low tone, in that same language he always prays in. At first I feel nothing, but then, everything starts feeling light. Not only do I gradually not feel any weight, but everything actually becomes brighter too… I can't feel Hidan's hands anymore, and I'm rising up. I stop about 10 feet over his head. I can see him down there; he's looking up at the sky, but not at me. I don't have a body, but my body's not down there with Hidan either…

Suddenly I'm aware of another presence. Not far ahead of me… I see Jashin. He's extending a hand towards me. I want to take it. I start towards him, but then I feel something even greater than him, above me. I look up. It's the most beautiful light I've ever seen… It feels so warm shining down on me… And it knows me, it calls out my name.

I smile and draw closer to this great light, and the closer I get, the more I realize that what I mistook as mere warmth; was pure love, _shining_ from God.

Then it clicked. God! Jesus! I had forsaken Jesus for some demon named Jashin! How could I have been so foolish? Guilt grasps my heart, and I feel heavy cold chains tighten around me. I look down, Jashin is not the handsome young man he had appeared to be only a moment ago. He is a terrible creature of darkness and pain, pulling me in by those painful chains. I cry out in pain and despair, reaching out towards God, begging for help.

A great hand descends and breaks the chains. I'm enveloped in the warmth that is my God, and everything feels so right… I apologize for everything that I've done wrong, and God tells me that he forgives me, and we both forget what sins I'd committed. I hold God tightly and tell him that I love him so much; he tells me that he loves me too. I feel complete. I kiss him softly and say that I need to go, but that I will always be there for him, that I will never ever leave him again. He kisses me back and lets me go.

I have a body again, but I also have a long-sleeved white shirt and a long, cotton skirt that falls past my heels. Not only that, but I have wings! Real, white wings with beautiful, bright feathers! I cry out with joy and sing to God that I love him. He smiles down at me, tears in his eyes. I ask him why he cries, but he turns away and is gone.

I look down, and see Hidan. Jashin is gone, and I am glad. I fly down next to Hidan and hug him tightly, so happy that I cannot find words to properly explain it. "Did you see that Hidan?! It was my God! Jesus! Look what he did!" I say, stepping back to fan out my large wings. "Aren't they wonderful?!" I look at Hidan's face, and my smile dies.

He's staring at me in horror, with unbelieving eyes. "Y-YOU IDIOT!" He yells, "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"

"What?…" I say, and then I remember. _I was supposed to go to Jashin._ I smile nervously, "It's alright Hidan…" I feel so unsure about my words.

Hidan strikes me hard across the face, I fall to the ground. "IT IS NOT _ALRIGHT_ YOU FOOL!" He sounds absolutely panicked. "Y-YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW ANGRY JASHIN-SAMA IS?!"

His words frighten me almost as much as his voice and expression. My wings curl over me, shielding me from any future blows.

This angers Hidan even more. "YOU FUCKING DUMB-ASS!" He knocks my wings away and pins down my arms. "ONE THING! JUST _ONE FUCKING THING!_ THAT'S ALL YOU HAD TO DO!" Blow after blow strikes my face and chest, things start to blur.

I try to move him, but he's too heavy and too strong. But I know that I'm stronger… I'm just afraid if I let out too much and he gets seriously injured. A blow hits me hard in the stomach, and takes away my breath. I try to shield myself with arms I cannot see, "p-please Hidan… I don't want to hurt you…" My voice echoes throughout my own head, it sounds raspy and weak.

The blows stop, but not because of my words. Hidan's face looks tear-strewn, had he been crying during all that? He grasps my forehead with one hand, "Jashin-sama wants me to bring you to the temple… You are going to be punished greatly…" His voice is dying and his eyes look weak.

I try to say something, but my world fades to black as I fall into one of Hidan's comas. The last things I see before I am gone are the red sky and black, dead land all around us.

I'm scared.


	13. Chapter 13

It's the second day of being in the Region of Rock, the sky has darkened even further and no life lies in the land around the two travelers.

Hidan walks over the cracked and dry earth, carrying the girl on his back. Her wings are tightly bound together, just as her hands. He couldn't get rid of a heavy feeling in his heart, and he didn't entirely understand it… He had tortured and killed her back at the bridge, just like hundreds before her. …Why then, did his heart ache when he thought of what Jashin would do to her? She was the same girl as she had been on the bridge, right?… Hidan just didn't know. Something had changed, but he didn't know what. This one was different from everyone else… and it wasn't just the wings.

She breathed calmly, steadily, still in the coma. Never would she be able to imagine the horrors to come… The record for a person remaining sane under Jashin's torture is a little over 24hrs. In his heart, Hidan wanted to let the girl go. Maybe even go back with her… But Jashin would know; he would find them. And their conditions would be even worse than they already were.

Hidan had been traveling without rest since it had happened, on Jashin's orders. He recognized his surroundings, alerting him that he was drawing ever nearer to the portal… And there it stood. A black marble arch with words of the ancient language carved into it.

Hidan stops in front of it. The common passersby would only see an arch. But should they go through it, sudden unjustly death would befall them. The arch is trying to draw Hidan and the bundle on his back in, as though eager to consume them.

Finally, Hidan steps through the archway and walks down a black stone corridor. Torches on the wall held by rose thorn-like iron vines dimly light the way. The frightening flickering shadows on the walls do nothing to help Hidan's nerves. Jashin always made him feel nervous…

A charred skeleton shudders and rises to its feet, approaching them.

"Hey Ben," Hidan says.

The skeleton, Ben, gives Hidan a small awkward bow, "follow me, follow me, servant of Jashin."

All of the servants at the temple addressed everyone like that. They were all slaves to Jashin who had worn their skin and flesh away over the many, many years. There were still souls in those decayed bodies, still a mind. But they too had become worn away, and now they were nothing but simple tools to be used.

Ben's feet clack on the ground with each step, and his bones rattle. He stops outside a large iron door and sticks his thin finger into the keyhole. The door shudders and opens, scraping loudly on the floor. The room inside is small, with only long-dead cobwebs and a moldy stone floor to decorate it. "Jashin, Jashin wants you to leave her here for now, for now… Hurry, hurry, for he wishes to speak with you, with you."

The ache in his heart greater yet; Hidan walks into the room and lays the girl down softly on the floor. The room holds a stench that its last resident's decayed remains left behind. Hidan sighs, standing to his feet. He leaves the room and follows Ben down another corridor, this one larger. They continue down the corridor until they reach the end. A door 5 times bigger than any normal one stands before them. It is made of a hard wood with brass fastenings and iron bolts. There is no handle or ring.

Ben kneels down on one knee, "Hidan is here to see you, Jashin-sama…"

**"Very well, come in,"** says a voice from within.  
The door creaks slowly open, allowing them inside. Hidan walks in, but Ben remains outside the room.

The door slams shut behind Hidan.

All about the room are the results of Jashin's experiments. A decaying dog with large crow wings sniffs Hidan, then trots away, taloned paws tapping the floor. Many times, Jashin has created a creature using the remains of several others. Then he seals the soul of a human into it, completing it, giving it life.

A raven with ram's horns swoops down from the ceiling, narrowly dodging Hidan, and lands on the shoulder of the young man who sits on the black throne of charred skulls. He strokes the raven's back, watching Hidan closely. Jashin.

He may not look strong in appearance, even if strange. But Hidan knew better. Gods should never be underestimated. The boy has uneven locks of black hair, strewn about in every direction. Like a blackbird with ruffled feathers. His black-taloned fingers continue to stroke the raven's back. He wears black garments with decorative small bones strung all about it. Most of them are probably finger bones. Jashin's cold, black eyes are locked on Hidan.

Hidan falls to one knee, bowing his head. "I have come, Jashin-sama."

**"I can see that."** Jashin says blankly. He rises from his ghastly throne and descends to the ground, walking evenly towards Hidan, who still kneels. **"Tell me, servant… tell me what happened on the hill. I know what happened, but I would like to hear you say it."**

Hidan doesn't look up, this isn't good. "The girl made a mistake-"

**"She deliberately made a mistake,"** Jashin corrects him harshly.

"Yes…" Hidan says, and then continues. "She didn't go to you, she went to the god she worshiped before you."

**"Very good Hidan…"** Jashin says, drawing a talon across the back of Hidan's neck, leaving a thin trail of blood. **"And what do we call that, Hidan?"**

"…it is treason, Lord Jashin."

**"What is the result of disloyalty, Hidan?"** Jashin rasps in his dead voice, leaning in close to Hidan's ear.

"Severe punishment, Lord Jashin."

**"And what is the punishment for treason among Jashinists, Hidan?"** Jashin's dreadful teeth are revealed in a freakish grin.

"Death." Hidan whispers, shakily.

**"Ah, but not just death, Hidan. Can you tell me what kind of death this will be?"**

Hidan fights back the weakness that threatens to crack his voice, "eternal death, Lord Jashin… Torture, until the insanity wipes the mind clean, then eternal servitude to you, my Lord…"

Jashin squats down in front of Hidan, watching his face closely, very much enjoying his discomfort. **"Yes, Hidan. Eternal death; eternal servitude."** He lightly taps Hidan's skull, penetrating the bone.

Hidan winces and clenches his teeth.

Satisfied, Jashin rises to his feet and strides back to his dark throne, again stroking the raven. As he takes his place, the large door scrapes the floor, slowly opening.

**"Ben?"**

The servant answers, head bowed to the floor, "yes, my Lord?"

**"Once the sun has given its last, wake the girl and bring her to me."**

"Yes, Lord Jashin."

**"Both of you may leave."**

Jashin watches with amusement as the two rise to their feet, not looking at him, and exit the room. How he loved to play with humans… they were so much fun.


	14. Chapter 14

The girl opens her eyes to see a skeleton squatting beside her, an evil green glare watching her through the empty sockets. "Wake up, wake up fleshie. Lord Jashin, Lord Jashin, wants to see you, see you." The creature speaks with a voice like a harsh, cold wind.

She blinks and looks around the room, "am I-"

"Be quiet, be quiet. No questions, no questions. Come," the skeleton says.

She shakily rises to her feet, finding it hard to do due to her bound wrists behind her.

"Come on, come on, why so slow, fleshie?" The skeleton stands outside the room, in a dim corridor.

She cautiously walks out of the room, looking up and down the corridor, but seeing nothing.

"Don't try to run, fleshie, don't try to run. Or I'll get you; I'll get you, fleshie." He speaks with a crooked grin that all skeletons have. He prods her back hard with a bone finger, "move, fleshie, move. That way, that way."

Fleshie… he was calling her this because she had flesh on her bones, unlike him. …For now. The girl shakes her head, getting the thought out of her head. She starts down the dim corridor, and everything gradually becomes colder and colder. The torches on the wall seem to fall dimmer and dimmer…

At last, they reach the giant wooden doors. They slowly creek open in a way that seems to tell her to enter. She looks back, but the skeleton is gone. So she walks into the room, rather lost, but knowing where she was at least. It was obvious with the large stone steps leading up to the dreadful throne…

But the throne was empty, and there wasn't a moving figure to be seen. The doors slam shut behind her, locking her in with no where to turn. The large torches on the walls dim to nothing, and she is left with nothing but forbidding darkness. Fear flows heavily in her veins, but she stands ever still.

A taloned hand slides over her shoulders, **"why do you not cower, girl? Do you think that your weakling god can save you?… Pah!"**

She flinches, but speaks with a nearly even voice, "my god is far greater than you. He is eternal, you are nothing before him. You cannot scare me." Nonetheless, her voice holds fear.

Something cold but strong wraps around her arms, legs, and neck. It feels like a snake's scales, but rougher. They scrape across her neck, **"hm, is that so?… Wonderful, then we can have all the more fun together…"** Jashin puts effort into suppressing his fury, for now. **"Tell me, girl, what you did wrong."**  
He moves back, releasing her.

She stands arms and wings free. "I followed you, that's what I did wrong. But Jesus forgave me; I am His servant, not yours."

He is too slow in restraining himself, and flings her across the room and against the bolted doors. At once in front of her, he grabs her by the arms, slamming her back against the door. Her wings let off a sickening crack, she cries out in pain.

Jashin's grasp is like hot knives, shredding her limbs. **"Do not try to be smart with me, stupid girl. Look where it's gotten you so far,"** he hisses.

"M-my wings… you broke my wings…"

Jashin presses her even harder against the doors, angry. **"You are surprised? You will wish that was all I did before I'm done with you. Your god is not here, he is a bad joke. Speak his name again, and your situation will be all the more worse than it already is."**

She tastes something in her mouth, blood. Her ears roar loudly, everything hurts so badly…

**"I will tell you what will happen to you, so listen if you know what is good for you. I will break that troublesome spirit of yours, no matter how long it takes. Once that is done, you will die, but I will bring you back. Once a person has died once, their connections with past gods are broken. Then I will control you, and you will serve me forever, like Ben, the one who brought you here. Though your skin may peal and your flesh may fall, your body is forever bound to me."**

The hope she had been holding onto is gone, just like that. "C-.. y-you can do that?…"

Jashin is very pleased with her fear and hopelessness. Humans aren't that hard to break. **"Yes, and I will."** He puts a taloned hand on the side of her pale face, **"but if you behave well, I may let you keep your flesh attached. It'd be best if you surrender now, it will be less painful then."**

He sees her answer coming before she opens her mouth, but he lets her speak. "I-I don't believe you." But she does not stop there. "You are not my god, and I will NEVER be your servant! Jesus, Lord God JESUS is my god! _And there isn't anything a piece of filth like you can do about it!_" She spits on his face.

He issues a mind-splitting shriek of pure rage, shaking with such anger that the very air crackles with energy. **"YOU WILL REGRET THAT, SCUM! YOU WILL REGRET THAT DEARLY!"**

The girl's screams echo throughout the dark temple, penetrating every wall.


	15. Chapter 15

Hidan stands before the wooden doors, having been summoned. He had heard her screams for hours on end… all up until sun up. Now he stares at the pool of blood gathered at the foot of the door, with a single white feather in it. Gathering up his wits, he says "I am here, Lord Jashin."

The doors slowly creek open, as though spent of energy. Blood is splattered everywhere, clumps of bent feathers every here and there. Hidan had never seen anything like it.

A dark blood-drenched figure sits hunched on the dark throne, Jashin. **"Take that out of here,"** he growls, gesturing at a limp bloody heap on the floor. He sounds tired. He really hadn't held back at all… Hidan had never known Jashin to go so far.

"…Yes, Lord Jashin…" Hidan picks up the bloody bundle in his arms and starts out of the room.

**"And Hidan?"**

"Yes, Jashin-sama?…"

**"See too it that she is back together and rested by this coming nightfall."**  
So he still wasn't done with her…

"Yes, my Lord." Hidan leaves the room, amazed that the broken girl in his arms still holds warmth. He carries her down the corridor and into the small room, the door is still open. He carefully sets her down on the cold stone floor.

Ben walks in, carrying a large tin bowl filled with murky water and a dirty rag. He carelessly sets it by Hidan, and a quarter of the water sloshes over the side.

Hidan looks irritated, "watch it, boner."

Ben stares down at Hidan with a wicked gaze, but leaves without stirring up any more trouble.

Hidan sets to wiping away as much of the blood off of her as he can. It takes him an hour just to be rid of the blood covering her body, and another two hours to heal her broken bones. He's not sure if Jashin wants him to or not, but he heals her broken wings too.

She still looks sickly pale, and doesn't breathe much, but at least she's alive… Hidan's not sure if that's a good thing or not anymore.

He is sure that nothing could bring her out of her sleep at that moment, but she surprises him by opening her eyes. They are so gray… so vacant of life. "Hidan?…" She whispers quietly, not sure if she's gone insane or if she's died and gone to a better place. A small smile finds its way into her cracked lips, "is that you?…"

Hidan looks behind himself to make sure nobody's there, then turns back to her. "Yes, I'm here," he slides a hand into hers, "you should be resting you know…"

"That's not important…" She uses a great deal of her strength, just to weakly grasp his hand. She moves his hand so it's flat over where her heart is. "Do you feel that, Hidan?"

A faint, rhythmic pulse tells him that her heart is pumping. "Yeah, so-" then it hits him. "Wh- how did you get your heart back?!" He asks, startled.

She smiles softly, "my god gave it to me, Hidan… he can return yours to you too… all's you've got to do is ask…"

"N-no, that's foolish! Jashin would know, we would never make it out of here alive!"

"Life does not matter, if you have not love and freedom…" Her eyes twinkle with hidden life. She tries to raise her hand to touch Hidan's face, but cannot lift it more than a few inches from the ground. "Hidan… Jashin cannot take my heart from me. That is why he used you at the bridge to do it for him, he uses you like a tool Hidan, and he does not care about you. But my god… He offers love and safety Hidan… He can help you; he can forgive you Hidan, for everything. You just need to-"

**"That is quite enough."** Both of them look at the dark figure which shadows the doorway. Jashin looks infuriated; his black eyes have a sort of sick glow to them. **"Your work here is done Hidan, leave."**

Hidan stands and leaves, giving the girl a sorrowful backward glance as he walks away.

Jashin crouches down beside her, glaring down at her sad eyes. **"Don't you dare try to take my servants, you puke…"**

She shuts her eyes and breathes in deeply. Then, speaking in a powerful voice that could not possibly belong to her, she says _**"Be proud now, weakling. But your reign will soon be over. Everything will be lost to you; even those who are now most loyal will turn their backs on you to worship me. You are nothing next to me."**_ She finishes with a deep exhale and then doesn't move, but still breathes.

Jashin stumbles back, afraid. He leaves the room deeply disturbed. He needed to break this girl… and soon.


	16. Chapter 16

Hidan sits on the stone window ledge, watching the colorless sun of the Spirit World fall below the stone.

**Hidan, come.**

Hidan falls nimbly to the ground, landing upright on his feet. As though he had dropped only a few feet instead of several stories. He walks through a few corridors and through a wall and then finally stands before the wooden doors.  
"I am here, Lord Jashin."

The doors open, revealing a frightening scene. The room hadn't been cleaned in any way of its blood, and so it now was dried and curling. The girl was on her knees before Jashin's throne, two skeletal servants, neither of them being Ben, held her in place. Each one had one of her arms, and both of them had a grasp of her head by her hair, forcing her to remain in a bow. Her wings were again broken and bloody… parted to reveal her thin spine which stuck out of her back slightly.

Ben walks to Hidan from the side of Jashin's throne, he hands Hidan a leather whip covered in iron thorns that are glowing red-hot.

**"Beat her, Hidan."** Jashin demands from his perch. His chin rests on his scaly black-taloned hand. **"Now."**

Jashin smiles at Hidan's horrified face. He loved this, he loved this so much. It was so exciting. If Hidan flogged the girl, they would no longer hold a bond. Jashin would break their foolish bond with pain.

Hidan still does not move.

Jashin's eyes flash, **"do you defy me, Hidan? Do you question my judgment? Hm?"**

Hidan's eyes fall to the girl's bare back. With trembling hands, he allows the whip to unravel at his feet. He draws it back, for the first blow.

Jashin's eyes widen with excitement. He smiles as the whip hisses through the air…  
The whip shatters the skeleton holding her left arm. Hidan quickly draws back and takes out the second skeleton too. With lightening-like movement, he slashes the whip across Jashin's face while rushing forward to grab the girl.

A shriek of rage bounces off the walls, the giant wooden doors slam shut with such a force that two of the great stone pillars in the room collapse.

All of the torches on the walls flare up in blue flame; giving the room and eerie glow.

Jashin rises from his throne, supported by two great black wings with feathers like razor knives. Black blood drips from where the whip hit his face.

Hidan shields the girl with his own body as an array of feathers shoot out of Jashin's wings, right at them. The feathers curve away, to either side, and then shoot straight in to strike both of them from two directions. They shout out in pain as the razor-like feathers pierce their bodies.

Jashin has gone completely insane, maniac laughter echoes in the large room. The girl rips one of the feathers from her side, and absorbs it into her hand in a white light. She shoves her palm towards Jashin, and a great ball of white light hits him in the chest. He screeches out in pain, and falls to the ground shaking violently. He begins to change…

Hidan's eyes widen, "we've got to get out of here!"

They dive behind one of the fallen pillars as Jashin continues to shake, and grow… The lights flicker, and the earth shakes. Jashin throws his head back in a monstrous screech, eyes giving off the blue eerie glow.

The girl writhes in pain on the floor, screaming, clawing at her neck. Hidan grabs her hands to make her stop, and sees a black curse mark on her neck. Jashin had put another curse on her…

Hidan holds her tight in his arms, tears streaming down his face. "Jashin! Please, please stop this!" But Jashin knows not mercy.

She opens her eyes; they're frosted over, blind… Blood trails from her eyes and mouth, her skin is slowly becoming gray… "I… I love you Hidan…"

Hidan holds her close, even as her body starts to lose heat. She kisses him softly on the lips, "use your heart, Hidan… use your heart… I'll be waiting for you…"

Her pulse stops, and she becomes limp in his arms. Suddenly, Hidan feels something warm inside of his chest. He puts a hand over it, and feels a quick and steady pulse… She had given him her heart. He feels something cold and smooth in his hands, and looks down. Where her body had been, he now held a shining silver sword, encrusted with white gems.

_Use your heart…_

He understood. He would have to use his heart, her heart, as the origin of power to take Jashin down… Hidan stood, and turned to face the dark beast before him, wielding his sword. Without a second's hesitation, Hidan ran straight at Jashin, letting out a battle cry. Hidan speedily dodges as Jashin tries to grab him, and ducks below an array of shooting feathers. Hidan uses one of Jashin's arms and leaps off of it to get to his heart.

Using the sword as his medium, Hidan put all of his heart into the sword, and drove it through the beast Jashin's chest. Both he and the beast died instantly. The temple fell to the ground, forever destroying the bridge between the Land of the Living and the Spirit World.


End file.
